State Senators considering one of two bills to ban local bans on plastic bags heard from around 40 opponents, who either came to a committee hearing or sent in written testimony. They were speaking out against a bill that’s similar to one that passed the House this summer.
There were local officials talking home rule, including Ben Kessler, the mayor of Bexley, one of three communities with bans on plastic bags.
“That’s something that local jurisdictions should determine until such a time that the state of Ohio weighs in on an overarching basis about a similar regulation," Kessler said.
And there were those with environmental and public health concerns. Alan Rosenfield with the League of Women Voters calls the ban on bans counterproductive to Ohio’s serious plastic waste disposal problem. “The problem will not go away," Rosenfield said. "If the state has no solution, things will only get worse.”
Republicans, including sponsor State Sen. Michael Rulli (R-Salem), whose family owns grocery stores in the Youngstown area, say they’re concerned about a patchwork of plastic bag regulation and the long-term costs of paper and cloth bags.
